My Lemon Posset dessert recipe looks so elegant with a bright lemony flavor, and it’s the easiest recipe with just three ingredients: lemon juice, cream, and sugar that form a smooth and spoonable custard. I love to serve this in lemon cups or ramekins for a perfect springtime presentation, and it’s a great make-ahead dessert!
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Lemon Posset Video
Watch me use 3 simple ingredients to make lemon posset – a sophisticated lemon dessert fit for royalty. You’ll also see how easy it is to prepare the lemon cups.
Easy Lemon Posset Recipe
When I first tasted lemon posset, I fell in love. Even though it’s so simple, this recipe becomes a sophisticated dessert that makes you feel like royalty, which is a perfect description! Like my Eton Mess and Banoffee Pie, it’s a classic British dessert that was rumored to be one of Queen Elizabeth II’s favorite desserts, and even served at her wedding. I love bringing this dessert to parties and events because the presentation is adorable, served in lemon peels.
If it’s good enough for the Queen, it’s good enough for me! I just love the cheery color of the custard served in lemon cups. The smooth custard is similar to Panna Cotta, but the lemon juice sets up the cream without the use of gelatin or eggs. It’s a no-bake dessert with just 5 minutes on the stove.
Ingredients for Lemon Posset
Grab these three ingredients and a saucepan to make lemon posset in super cute individual-serving cups. To dress these up, once the posset is set, I like to top with fresh berries, mint leaves, slices of lemon, or homemade whipped cream.
- Heavy whipping cream – this reacts with the lemon juice to create the creamy custard—don’t substitute with anything lower fat, since it will only set up with 36-40% milk fat.
- Sugar – adds the perfect sweetness to offset the acidic lemon juice, and it dissolves perfectly when heated.
- Lemon juice – skip the bottled juice here since the flavor is dull and may not set up correctly. Bonus—you use the lemon peels to serve the custard. I like to get a big bag of inexpensive lemons at Costco, which work perfectly.
Can I Use a Different Citrus Juice?
For a twist on this lemon posset, try swapping the citrus for lime juice, half lemon and half orange juice, or even blood orange juice (increase the juice by 1 Tbsp). Be sure you have 5 Tablespoons so the custard will set.
How to Make Lemon Cups
To prep the lemon peels, cut them in half lengthwise and spoon out the inside juice and membrane. Reserve the juice for the recipe by mashing the pulp and straining it through a sieve.
How to Make Lemon Posset
To make the custard, you’ll need just 5 minutes of active cook time. It’s quick, so be sure your lemon halves or ramekins are ready before beginning. This recipe makes about 10-12 lemon halves or 6 ramekins.
- Boil – heat the cream and sugar in a small saucepan, stirring until the sugar dissolves completely and the mixture comes to a boil. Adjust the heat to keep the mixture from boiling over and keep at a medium boil for another 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. This reduces the cream slightly, resulting in a better set.
- Add the lemon – take the saucepan off the heat and whisk the lemon juice into the cream mixture, then set the pan aside for 15 minutes to cool. Pour it through a fine mesh sieve into a large measuring cup with a spout. This creates the super smooth texture!
- Fill the ramekins or lemon halves with about 3/4” of the lemon custard. If it’s thicker than that, it may not set properly.
- Refrigerate – put the cups into the fridge for 2 hours or until set. If you want to store it for longer in the refrigerator, cover with plastic wrap once it’s set so it doesn’t absorb any refrigerator smells. Garnish to your heart’s delight just before serving.
Why didn’t my lemon posset set?
Be sure to use heavy whipping cream, not light cream or milk. Also, be sure to boil the cream and sugar mixture for 5 minutes to reduce the cream to the right consistency. If the custard didn’t set, add another tablespoon of lemon juice and then boil for 2 minutes, cool, and chill.
Can I make dairy-free lemon posset?
If you swap the heavy cream with canned full-fat coconut cream, it won’t set correctly, but you can still serve it as a thick pudding or in a parfait.
Make-Ahead and Storage Tips
- To Refrigerate: Once the possets have chilled for about 2 hours and are set, cover with plastic wrap and store for up to 3 days. Between friends, I have enjoyed leftovers refrigerated for up to a week while testing scores of these, but they do start to get a bit of liquid condensation at the top that needs to be drained off with longer storage.
- Freezing: I wouldn’t recommend freezing since the custard can turn grainy or icy.
How to Serve Lemon Posset
While I love the simplicity of serving lemon posset in a lemon cup or ramekin, here are more ways to enjoy it:
- In premade crusts, like my Lemon Tartlets, or use it as the filling for a Fruit Tart with a Sweet Tart Crust.
- Layered in a parfait with granola, crushed graham crackers or shortbread cookies.
- Drizzled with Strawberry Sauce for a lemony strawberry cream dessert
- Topped or rolled into Crepes
- Poured over my mini Pavlovas
Lemons are one of my favorite ingredients in Spring. I love serving lemon desserts, like my Classic Lemon Bars, Lemon Cheesecake, and Lemon Curd, since the flavor is so refreshing, and Lemon Posset is in my top list of favorite lemon recipes. You’ll love how sophisticated these look – make them and you’ll impress everyone!
Lemon Posset
Ingredients
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream*
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar
- 5 Tbsp lemon juice, from about 3 lemons*
- Lemon slice or berries, optional for serving
Instructions
- Boil – In a small saucepan, heat the cream and sugar, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Bring to a boil, then adjust the heat so it doesn’t boil over and keep it at a medium boil for 5 minutes.
- Add lemon – Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the lemon juice, then set aside to cool for 15 minutes. Strain the mixture through a fine mesh sieve set over a large measuring cup with a pouring lip.
- Fill – Divide the mixture between 6 ramekins or between 10-12 lemon halves* if you prefer to serve it that way. Fill your serving cups about 3/4” full so it sets up properly.
- Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or until fully set, then top with whipped cream if desired, along with a lemon slice or berries for garnish.
Notes
*Use real lemon juice, not concentrate. *How to Make Lemon Cups: If you want to serve out of lemon peels, cut 5 to 6 lemons in half lengthwise and spoon out the inside juice and membrane. Reserve the juice for the recipe by mashing the pulp and straining it through a sieve. Make-ahead & Storage: Once the possets have set (after about 2 hours), cover with plastic wrap, so they don’t absorb food odors, and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Nutrition Per Serving
Filed Under
More Easy Party Desserts
Lemon Posset is one of the easiest party desserts to make and serve. If you want more crowd-pleasing dessert recipes, you’ll love these:
- Mini Chocolate Cupcakes
- Chocolate Covered Strawberries
- Creme Brûlée
- No-bake Mini Cheesecakes
- Strawberry Pretzel Salad
- Tiramisu
- Flan Recipe
Thank you so much for this recipe! After filling the lemon cups, I poured the rest in a dish and put it in the freezer for an hour. Sooo Good! Not frozen (as that would change the smooth consistency, as stated in the blog), but very very very cold. Almost like gelato. Try it! But dont forget it in the freezer.
Thank you for sharing your experience with this recipe! I’m happy that you enjoyed it.
Very easy recipe. I made these several times, I even play with adjusting the ingredients and toppings, and they’re always a hit! Thanks Natasha!
This was a great recipe! Easy to follow and good end result. A little sweet for my family’s taste, but will try reduce sugar a bit next time.
I’d like to make a big batch of this in one dish for an upcoming dinner party. Since this recipe is focused on individual portions – I’d love any guidance about how it can be adapted to a large dish quantity!
Hi Mina! You should be able to adapt this to a larger dish. No changes are needed, just pour it into a larger dish and let it set longer.
Use a shallow serving dish or small glass baking dish (glass or ceramic is best).
Also- keep in mind that the sugar acts as a stabilizer so reducing it could affect its ability to set firmly. If you reduce, start with a very small amount first.
I would love to make these for an upcoming family gathering. Would they be okay to serve in pre-made phyllo cups from the grocery store? I was thinking I would let the filling set up slightly before pouring into the cups to prevent them from getting soggy.
Hi Yolanda, I have seen those cups but haven’t tried filling them with a liquid like this. Like you said I would be worries they would get soggy. I you happen to experiment, I’d love to know how you like them.
The flavor and texture of the posset was perfect. I used phyllo cups to serve them and was very pleased with the presentation. To prevent soggy bottoms, I did the following:
1) I chilled the filling for about 45 minutes in the refrigerator (to a thick pudding stage.)
2) I brushed the bottoms of the phyllo cups with melted chocolate and let it harden before adding the filling.
The cups retained their crispness, even after several hours. As an added bonus, the recipe made enough to fill 30 small phyllo cups. I will definitely be making this again.
Thank you for sharing that with us, Yolanda! That’s so helpful for others who will be trying this recipe too.
Followed this recipe exactly and mine turned out like soup.
Hi Jason! Make sure your container days “heavy whipping cream” and not just whipping cream which is lighter. A lighter cream won’t have the fat content to set up properly. Heavy cream (≥ 36 % fat) is essential for setting. Also- use real lemon juice, not concentrate.
Turned out amazing, despite some anexities about the ingredients.
For some reason its very hard to find heavy cream here, but 35% whipping cream worked for me. Used half a cup of sugar instead of 2/3 by mistake but it still set up and taste great!
Added a drizzle of melted chocolate as a garnish and it turned out amazing. Will be my go to for left over lemons from here on out.
I’m glad you enjoyed it!
Hi! Just made them must say LOVE I did add vanilla bean n some cinnamon. For a more seasonal taste. Only complaint I have . Is not trying this sooner!!! No but seriously can I double everything and set it in a cake pan? This is so good 2 1/2 cups doesn’t do it justice .
Could I substitute the heavy cream for Coconut Whipping Cream to make this Non-Dairy for a family member?
If you swap the heavy cream with canned full-fat coconut cream, it won’t set correctly, but you can still serve it as a thick pudding or in a parfait.
Wanted to know if it would make a difference if I pre-prepped all the lemons in advance the night before and then make the custard in the morning
Hi Sapphire, that should be fine.
I made this before and it turned out perfectly. I made it again today and it’s been six hours and it hasn’t set up. Is there anyway to get it to set up? I wanted it for dinner tonight.
Hi Sandy, it’s hard to say without being there, was there possibly in ingredients or step missed causing that? The smallest adjustment could cause it to split or not set properly. Let us know how it turns out.